Patient positioning support apparatus with fail-safe connector attachment mechanism

Abstract

A patient support apparatus for supporting a patient in a prone position during a surgical procedure is provided, including an open fixed frame suspended above a floor and a pair of spaced opposed radially sliding joints cooperating with the frame, each joint including a virtual pivot point and an arc of motion spaced from the virtual pivot point, the joints being movable along the arc providing a pivot ship mechanism for a pair of pelvic pads attached to the joints. A base for supporting and suspending a patient support structure above the floor, for supporting a patient during a surgical procedure, the base including a pair of spaced opposed vertical translation subassemblies reversibly attachable to a patient support structure, a cross-bar, and a rotation subassembly having two degrees of rotational freedom; wherein a location of each vertical translation subassembly is substantially constant during operation of the patient support structure.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of using a surgical system for supporting a patient during surgery, the method comprising:
 providing the surgical system, the surgical system including a surgical table and a padding system to support the patient, the surgical table including a support portion and a platform portion, the padding system including a chest-support portion and a pelvic-support portion; 
 spacing the platform portion from a surface that the surgical table rests upon with the support portion; 
 supporting the chest-support portion and the pelvic-support portion on the platform portion by positioning the chest-support portion closer to a first end of the platform portion than the pelvic support portion; 
 positioning the pelvic-support portion closer to an opposite second end of the platform portion than the chest-support portion; 
 moveably attaching the pelvic-support portion to the platform support portion by moveably attaching a pad support portion of a first pelvic-support portion of the pelvic-support portion to the platform portion adjacent a first lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching a pad support portion of a second pelvic-support portion of the pelvic-support portion to the platform portion adjacent an opposite second lateral side thereof; 
 during attachment of the pad support portions of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion, orienting first ends of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion toward the first end of the platform portion; 
 moving the pad support portions of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion relative to the platform portion in a horizontal first direction aligned with a mid-longitudinal axis of the surgical table by moving first ends of each of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion from a first position closer to the second end of the platform portion to a second position closer to the first end of the platform portion; and 
 supporting portions of the patient using the chest-support portion and the pelvic-support portion by contacting a chest portion of the patient to the chest-support portion, contacting a first pelvic portion of the patient to a pad supported by the pad support portion of the first pelvic-support portion, and contacting a second pelvic portion of the patient to a pad supported by the pad support portion of the second pelvic support portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising moving the pads relative to the platform portion in a vertical second direction perpendicular to the horizontal first direction. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pads are each spaced apart from the platform portion. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising moveably attaching the chest-support portion to the platform portion by attaching a first chest-support portion adjacent the first lateral side thereof and a second chest-support portion adjacent the opposite second lateral side thereof. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising moving the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion of the chest-support portion relative to the platform portion in the horizontal first direction by moving the first ends of each of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion from a first position closer to the second end of the platform portion to a second position closer to the first end of the platform portion. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising, during attachment of the chest-support portion, orienting the first ends of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion toward the first end of the platform portion. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first pelvic support portion and the second pelvic-support portion are moveable toward and away from the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion are moveable toward and away from the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 contacting a first chest portion of the chest portion to a pad of the first chest-support portion; and 
 contacting a second chest portion of the chest portion to a pad of the second chest-support portion. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pads of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion are spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
       11. A method of using a surgical system for supporting a patient during surgery, the method comprising:
 providing the surgical system, the surgical system including a surgical table and a padding system to support the patient, the surgical table including a support portion and a platform portion, the padding system including a chest-support portion and a pelvic-support portion; 
 spacing the platform portion from a surface that the surgical table rests upon with the support portion; 
 supporting the chest-support portion and the pelvic-support portion on the platform portion by positioning the chest-support portion closer to a first end of the platform portion than the pelvic support portion; 
 positioning the pelvic-support portion closer to an opposite second end of the platform portion than the chest-support portion; 
 moveably attaching the chest-support portion to the platform portion by moveably attaching a first chest-support portion adjacent a first lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching a second chest-support portion adjacent an opposite second lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching the pelvic-support portion to the platform support portion by moveably attaching a pad support portion of a first pelvic-support portion of the pelvic-support portion to the platform portion adjacent the first lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching a pad support portion of a second pelvic-support portion of the pelvic-support portion to the platform portion adjacent the opposite second lateral side thereof; 
 moving the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion relative to the platform portion in a horizontal first direction aligned with a mid-longitudinal axis of the surgical table by moving first ends of each of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion from a first position closer to the second end of the platform portion to a second position closer to the first end of the platform portion; 
 moving the pad support portions of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion relative to the platform portion in the horizontal first direction by moving first ends of each of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion from a first position closer to the second end of the platform portion to a second position closer to the first end of the platform portion; 
 supporting portions of the patient using the chest-support portion and the pelvic-support portion by contacting chest portions of the patient to a pad of the first chest-support portion and a pad of the second chest-support portion; and 
 contacting pelvic portions of the patient to a pad supported by the pad support portion of the first pelvic-support portion and a second pelvic portion of the patient to a pad supported by the pad support portion of the second pelvic support portion. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising moving the pads relative to the platform portion in a vertical second direction perpendicular to the horizontal first direction. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pads are each spaced apart from the platform portion. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising, during attachment of the pad support portions of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion, orienting the first ends of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion toward the first end of the platform portion. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising, during attachment of the chest-support portion, orienting the first ends of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion toward the first end of the platform portion. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first pelvic support portion and the second pelvic-support portion are moveable toward and away from the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion are moveable toward and away from the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pads are spaced apart from one another. 
     
     
       19. A method of using a surgical system for supporting a patient during surgery, the method comprising:
 providing the surgical system, the surgical system including a surgical table and a padding system to support the patient, the surgical table including a support portion and a platform portion, the padding system including a chest-support portion and a pelvic-support portion; 
 spacing the platform portion from a surface that the surgical table rests upon with the support portion; 
 moveably attaching portions of the chest-support portion to the platform portion by moveably attaching a first chest-support portion adjacent a first lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching a second chest-support portion adjacent an opposite second lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching portions of the pelvic-support portion to the platform support portion by moveably attaching a pad support portion of a first pelvic-support portion of the pelvic-support portion to the platform portion adjacent the first lateral side thereof; 
 moveably attaching a pad support portion of a second pelvic-support portion of the pelvic-support portion to the platform portion adjacent the opposite second lateral side thereof; 
 moving the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion relative to the platform portion in a horizontal first direction aligned with a mid-longitudinal axis of the surgical table by moving first ends of each of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion from a first position closer to the second end of the platform portion to a second position closer to the first end of the platform portion; and 
 moving the pad support portions relative to the platform portion in the horizontal first direction by moving first ends of each of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion from a first position closer to the second end of the platform portion to a second position closer to the first end of the platform portion. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 during attachment of the pad support portions of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion, orienting the first ends of the first pelvic-support portion and the second pelvic-support portion toward the first end of the platform portion; and 
 during attachment of the chest-support portion, orienting the first ends of the first chest-support portion and the second chest-support portion toward the first end of the platform portion.